by Jack Porter
“No kidding. I’m worried about me. Sarina, I need you to tell me everything that happened. No bullshit. Just the facts.”
So she did. Apparently, when I’d rushed the elves holding Sarina, they thought I’d gone mad with fear or gone insane from the hell-fiends. It wasn’t unheard of, Sarina said, so they had closed ranks. This part I knew. But when I had stopped Sarina from changing into a Hellhound, no one knew what to think. And, as I had prepared to cast my magic, I’d accidentally broken the elven protective enchantments.
Terrified that I would do something stupid like kill everyone on the mountain, Nya had rushed to stop me. But I’d already cast the power from my hands. It had rushed down the hell-fiends and literally reduced them to nothing but smoke and ash.
The rock golem, on the other hand, had exploded, raining down rocks and boulders onto the elves and horses.
But I’d passed out, so I didn’t know any of that.
“I killed them,” I repeated, horrified. The road here was a bit wider, and I urged my horse faster, asking her to catch up to Nya ahead, who was in conversation with Ilana. They both looked startled as I approached, and I heard an alarmed shout from one of Nya’s guard. Indeed, one of them had already nocked an arrow and was sighting it at me. “Hold!” I said. “Nya!”
She halted her horse, and the entire line stopped.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. I was furious now, more at myself at anybody else, but it felt good to put the blame on her.
Nya’s face was unreadable. No hint of the smirk that I looked forward to or the smile I worked for.
“Ilana?” I asked, turning to her. Her expression was different—one of shame.
“I was going to tell you last night,” Ilana said. “And then—”
“And then you thought you’d fuck me instead?”
She scowled. “No, Jon, I couldn’t tell you because I knew how it would make you feel.”
“Is that why you avoided me yesterday? So you wouldn’t have to tell me?”
Slowly, Ilana nodded.
I cursed some more and then lowered Sarina to the ground. “What about you?” I asked Nya, who had been silent.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I have other people in my care, Jon,” she said testily. “And, you seem to have either developed a great new power overnight, or you have been lying to us this entire time.”
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or furious. So I settled for laughter.
In hindsight, it made me look a bit unhinged. And Sarina backed away from my horse. But it was a response that I couldn’t seem to control. They thought I was faking it. I was fucking terrified. No idea how to control myself, no idea if or when this feeling would stop. And they didn’t trust me.
Once I regained my composure, I shook my head, trying to clear it. “This is all so fucked up. Nya, Ilana, I swear to you, I’ve been honest from the beginning. I don’t know where that power came from, but it fucking terrifies me. And because of me, three elven warriors won’t go home.”
And, because I didn’t know what else to do, I dismounted and sank to my knees before them all. “I swear it on my own life. You can trust me.”
Nya dismounted as well and strode over to me. She looked every bit the elven ruler, and for a moment, I saw the doubt in her eyes. But then, she grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. “I believe you, Jon, and if it weren’t for you, many more could have died.”
I looked to Ilana, who nodded. As we once again mounted our horses, I hoped that what I’d said was true. Because, as much as I would never have willingly hurt Ilana or Nya, I didn’t know what to do about the intense desire to kill that was once again building in my veins.
I had told them they could trust me. And I had meant it.
But I didn’t know if they could trust the evil that was growing inside me.
Because finally, I had a name for it, this lust for blood. It was evil if it meant I would hurt my friends. And I would learn to control it or die trying.
28
I was itching for a fight.
Apparently, Nya had meant for me to train, to learn to control my magic as soon as possible even though no one knew the nature of it. The obvious hiccup to that plan was our speed and our goal of catching the slavers. Also, it seemed like a good idea not to draw any attention to myself. Therefore, practicing magic on the go wasn’t the best plan.
So now my renewed anger simmered just beneath the surface, and I struggled to rein it in. Like I was a teenager all over again, but it wasn’t just my temper that threatened to embarrass me, but a real thirst for blood.
Sarina noticed my discomfort.
“You are sweating, Jon,” she said.
“No shit,” I said, pulling at my collar. “It’s always so damn hot here.”
“But you didn’t seem to have trouble before…” She trailed off, looking at my face.
I glanced down at her and then moved my eyes front. There was no point in feeding that other beast that seemed to be rampaging around as well. As far as I was concerned, Sarina was off limits. I was beginning to wish she could ride with anyone but me, but the woman was my responsibility. If she shifted again, and I wasn’t nearby to stop her, then more deaths would be on my head.
But could I stop her again? “Hey, Sarina,” I said. “Are you absolutely certain no one’s ever been able to control your shifting before?”
Sarina gave me the side eye. “Besides the Wraith King, you mean?”
“Yeah. By the way, how did he do it?”
She half-turned to face me. “Once you’re the Wraith King’s thrall,” she said coldly, “you don’t get a say in what happens to you. So when he told me to change, I did. End of discussion.” Sarina shivered. “It wasn’t like I had control over it.”
“So he commanded you with his voice like I did?”
She was silent a minute. “Yes,” she said finally. Then she scowled. “But don’t let it go to your head, man. If someone would give me a weapon, I’d prove I was a better warrior than you.”
I did look at her then. “Everyone here is a better warrior than me,” I said. “To be fair, they’ve had lots more practice.”
She scoffed. “It would not make a difference. I was a stable maiden to the High Priestess, and that means I was more highly trained than the best warriors outside her service.”
“Okay, stable maiden,” I said. “Joke’s on you, because I think we’re on the same side. Unless you plan to betray me and turn me over to the Wraith King.”
Sarina’s face paled and then grew red to match her hair. “I… I would never… Anyway, if we are on the same side, why am I still bound? And why would I have helped you with your magic, rudimentary though it may be.”
I was spared having to answer because the line halted for a midday rest to tend the horses. I dismounted and held out my arms to catch Sarina, but she ignored me and slid down the ground, perfectly balanced despite her hands being tied. She at once turned and began speaking to the horse, and after motioning for a guard to watch the stable maiden, I went to find Nya.
“How much farther until we get out of this accursed forest?” I asked when I found her near her horse.
“We should be out by tonight,” Nya said. “And then we’ll ride fast and hard toward our prey.”
“Do you think we’ll still catch them?”
Nya checked Stormfyre’s hoof. “We have to.” When she straightened, she looked at me. “Jon, whatever you can do between now and then to channel your magic, you need to be doing it.”
I shook my head. “You’ve changed your mind, then? You think I should be practicing an uncontrollable power atop a horse on a narrow road through the mountains?”
“I do not know anymore,” she hissed, “because I don’t know where your magic comes from or what you will be capable of.”
“I thought it came from the wyrm.”
“Do you think the wyrm’s blood gives you the power to control the Hellhound?” Nya’s question came with a d
ark frown.
“I did until just now… when you made me think that was incorrect,” I said, following the elf to the other side of her horse. “Why not? Maybe that’s how the Wraith King does it. We’ve already said he gets his long life from the wyrm’s blood.”
Nya pulled a skin of wine from her saddle and took a swig. “No, Jon. You had magic when you arrived in Hell because you were able to wield that whip long before your blood mixed with the wyrm’s.”
She had a point, but I didn’t want to think about that, nor did I want to tell her what I was really thinking. It wasn’t until after I killed the wyrm and was healed by its blood that I began having all these problems.
Problems she didn’t know the half of.
Nya offered me her wine, and I took her up on it. Normally, the elven wine was too strong, but I needed something strong right about now. I took a long gulp and then wiped my mouth on my sleeve. “So what is your theory?” I asked. “What do you think is the reason I have these new abilities?”
She took the wine skin from me and tied it back to her saddle. “You won’t like it.”
“Are you going to tell me it has something to do with the Prophecy?”
She inclined her head, and I exhaled forcefully. Then I lowered my voice, “Does the Prophecy say something like that, or is this a hunch?” I asked.
“What is a hunch?”
“A guess.”
She smiled sadly. “No, Jon, it is not a guess.”
Beyond caring who was watching at this point, I opened my arms to her. To my surprise, she accepted my embrace, putting her chin on my shoulder. “I need you to tell me everything about the Prophecy you know,” I whispered.
She turned her head to look me in the eye. “Are you starting to believe?”
“I don’t know what I believe, but I don’t like this conflict with you. We fought together, on the same side. You saved my life.”
Nya smiled, making her face more beautiful than ever. “And you saved mine.”
“I’d do it again without another thought, Nya, I hope you know that.”
She nodded. “I have told you much of what I already know about the Prophecy according to the Elfstone.”
“But there is more, I bet, from legends and writing and what-not?”
“There is.” Nya took a deep breath and pulled away. “When our errand is complete, I will tell you more. Until then, the road is not a safe place for such a discussion.”
29
We exited the forest less fifteen proven warriors and twenty horses, and with a deep weariness. Below, the plains of the Slavers’ Bowls spread out to the south until they met more mountains, and to the east as far as the eye could see. Clouds of smoke hung over some rocky terrain to the north, and the underside of them was red like there were fires burning there.
Finally, the column of horses could open up and move faster, riding two or three abreast. I rode between Nya and Ilana, still holding Sarina.
Because of Sarina, we didn’t talk about the Prophecy, but I used the time to try to concentrate the power I still felt in my veins. My mare, which I still hadn’t named, sensed my attempts, I think, and tossed her head more frequently as we cantered. Sarina’s horsewomanship proved valuable when this happened, because I still wasn’t great at quieting the mare on my own. I felt bad that Sarina was still bound, but Nya had been adamant. Despite that, Sarina was an excellent rider and didn’t need her hands to keep her balance astride the horse. Now clad in riding pants she’d borrowed from one of the elves, her long, muscular legs gripped the horse without a problem. It made me wonder what else she could grip, and I worked hard to think instead of how badly my back and ass hurt from riding all these days or how my head hurt from butting that orc in the face.
At one point, Sarina caught me staring at her. “As flattering as it is to have my ass pressed against you for our journey, don’t you have enough problems on your mind?”
I laughed despite myself. “Sorry.”
Sarina eyed me. “Your thoughts betray you. I can sense the heat in your body, and it is flattering that a man with such power desires me.”
“I wish everyone would stop saying that,” I said. “As much of an ego boost as it gives me, I don’t feel very powerful. I feel out of control.”
It was the closest I had come to admitting anything.
Sarina shifted to look at me better. “Then control it.”
“I’m not sure how yet.”
“Your battle is in your heart and mind, not your body,” she said.
I nodded. It made sense but wasn’t exactly helpful. “I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable. If you want to ride with someone else…”
She looked me up and down. “I’m not uncomfortable,” she murmured. Then she turned around to face forward again.
Well, that was still awkward. And of course Ilana and Nya had heard every word. I knew by this point that the peoples of Hell were more open about sexuality, but they didn’t trust Sarina. I wanted to trust her, for more reasons than sex, but wisdom told me to be cautious.
“I hope we don’t have to go back through that forest on our way home,” I said to change the subject.
Nya shook her head. “Not unless there are unforeseen circumstances. There is a safer way.” Then her eye gleamed mischievously. “Did you just call Castle Blackhold home?”
I smiled. “I guess I did. It’s the closest thing I have to one in Hell.”
Nya spotted something ahead, making me look, too. Two scouts were returning. “Jon,” the elf said before moving forward to meet them. “You are welcome at Blackhold as long as you want to stay. I do have some say in the matter, you know.”
“I’d heard,” I said.
The scouts stopped quickly in front Nya. “We found the slavers, Your Grace,” a dark elf said. “Syn and four other captives are still alive.”
Nya leaned forward in her saddle. “And?”
“They have many more slavers with them now. More than when they left Blackhold. At least fifty.”
“We just beat over two hundred orcs,” I said. “Fifty wraiths shouldn’t be too hard.”
The dark elf shook her head. “It’s not just wraiths. They have a sorceress with them, orcs, a troll, and Hellhounds.”
Nya balled her hand into a fist. “All that for five elves?”
“You think it’s a trap?” I asked.
She looked at me. “Could be. A sorceress changes things. Pass the word down the line. Everyone needs to prepare for battle.”
30
Within an hour, Nya and I were sitting in a hilltop tree overlooking a plain. Below us, an ordered band of slavers were riding quickly over the even ground. The wraiths and orcs rode Hellhounds. The sorceress was easy to spot because she rode a black horse in the middle of the party and wore a bright red cloak like the other sorcerers I’d seen.
Behind her, being led by a troll-looking thing, walked the five elf captives bound in chains. Syn white braids stuck out as she was dragged along at a hellish pace. Even from here, we could see the fire that licked their chains. My anger surged to the surface, and all I wanted to do was jump out of the tree and go after them.
By the set of her jaw, Nya looked like she was having the same thought. “We will end them.”
“What do we do about Little Red Riding Hood?” I asked.
Nya looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Little… the sorceress?”
“Yes.”
“You are strange, Jon-man.” But she closed her eyes and smelled the air.
“What are you—”
“Be still.”
I did as I was told and shut up. But that only gave me time to admire Nya’s perfectly still form as she seemed to scent the environment around us.
After a moment, she opened her eyes. “I can sense her magic. She is strong. Strange for just transporting new slaves, even elves from Blackhold.”
“A trap, then.”
“Feels like it. Which means they are expecting us, and surprise w
ill be difficult. And they will not hesitate to kill their captives if they see us winning. Or if it means they can draw us into an uneven fight.”
“They’re going to get a fight, all right,” I said, feeling my anger.
The slavers were moving fast, but our horses were swifter, and we weren’t dragging slaves behind us although several of us were doubled up now.
“Do you think they sent the orcs after us in the mountains?” I asked.
“It is also possible, Jon. With the Wraith King and his minions, I have learned to never be surprised by anything.”
So if it was a trap, and they were expecting us to chase them, they felt confident that they could overpower us in a straight fight. Or maybe not. “Perhaps they did not expect us to exit the forest at all.”
Nya nodded. “I am certain that was their hope. But it’s possible they know of our victory there. Out here on the plain, I am worried that they will kill our friends before we even reach them. And we don’t have any way of ambushing them.”
“Too bad we don’t have a way of flying…” I said, grinning.
She turned to me. “I’m listening.”
31
Not long after, Ilana and I were flying into the smoky clouds above the enemy slavers. Nya had put up a fight, wanting to play assassin instead of me, but as I’d pointed out, if something went wrong, my life was worth less than hers.
She hadn’t liked that, either, but she had people to take care of, and I didn’t. Plain and simple. As for Ilana, I hoped we weren’t flying to our deaths, but she seemed as eager as I to be doing something and had jumped at the suggestion.
“Get ready,” she said, her voice barely audible over the wind created by her wings.
She dove headfirst out of the clouds. Below, the sorceress was a tiny red dot, easily marked. Ilana adjusted her course and then tucked in her wings, and we shot for the target like a missile.
In moments, we were just above and to the left of the enemy, and Ilana opened her wings to correct our course. We slowed, and I heard shouts from the orcs as they spotted us. But it was too late for some of them.
